Was Homo habilis more like Homo erectus or more like the australopithecines? Why?
The H. habilis designation was applied due to an approx. 20% increase in brain case size, cranial shape and tooth proportion, larger front teeth relative to back teeth and narrower premolars. Subsequently nearly complete cranium was discovered showing H. habilis characteristics and even H. erectus characteristics. Dating shows an overlap between the disappearing Australopithecine line and the growing Homo line of about 1 million years so both lines existed at the same time. H. habilis had more in common with H erectus than A. (Cranial size, shape and dentition).
